FORMER Norwich City striker Dion Dublin insists Roy Keane can guide Ipswich back to the Premier League – provided the Town fans keep the faith in his former Manchester United team-mate.

Keane arrived at Portman Road to great fanfare in April 2009 with memories of his staggering revival of Sunderland fresh in the memory – but the expected lift off never occurred.

After failing to guide the Tractor Boys to a single victory in their first 14 games of last season, speculation mounted that Keane would walk or be pushed through the exit door.

But after seeing his former Celtic and United team-mate ultimately steer Ipswich clear of the relegation trapdoor, Dublin expects the club’s patience to be rewarded in this year’s npower Championship.

“Roy Keane is a good friend of mine and we speak every so often and people just need to give him a little bit of time,” said Dublin, speaking courtesy of npower to promote the Football Saver tariff.

“I can safely say, 100 per cent, that Roy Keane will do very well – there is no question about that whatsoever.

“Roy will get something for the Ipswich fans and I think he will get the team he wants and get them playing the way he wants.

“He will succeed. Roy is not just a person who will lay down and die because of the pressure from fans and the pressure from the media – he is too strong for that.”

Keane has nailed his ambitions to the mast by attempting to renew relations with free-scoring Cardiff striker Michael Chopra, who he managed in the Premier League at Sunderland.

And Dublin, who shared the 1998 Premier League Golden Boot with Michael Owen and Chris Sutton, believes as soon as Keane gets his house in order, a return to the top flight won’t be far behind.

“Roy doesn’t realise it but he is very similar to Sir Alex and it is going to go his way,” added Dublin.

“Once he gets the team he is happy with they will start to do things and they will start to get that tenth spot and start to get into the play-offs.

“I was with Roy at Manchester United and Celtic as well so we spent a lot of meals out just the two of us chatting over football and what he wanted to do.

“I think people expected him to what he did at Ipswich at Sunderland but it is a different maybe there were different expectations, it is a bigger club stature wise but Roy is shrewd.”

Dion appears courtesy of npower promoting our great new Football Saver tariff. To find out more visit: npower.com/dion or call: 0800 975 9068 quoting B002D